1. Florida’s Commitment to Suicide Prevention James R. McDonough Florida Office of Drug Control

3. Uniformed and Armed Professions  Emile Durkheim

4.  Importance of support from the top down  Ensure health of officers Leadership Responsibilities

5.  Admit the Need For Help  Introspection  Self Honesty Individual Responsibilities

6. Air Force Approach  Suicide was 2 nd leading cause of death in USAF between 1990-1994  Developed and Instituted a suicide prevention program  Identified 3 themes among suicide victims -Stigma -Beliefs -Cultural Norms  Identified Risk and Protective Factors  Developed 11 initiatives to their plan  Rates decreased from 16.4 per 100,000 in 1997 to 2.2 per 100,000 in 1999

7. Public Awareness  Suicide is America’s 11 th leading cause of death  30,000 American’s die each year by suicide  9 th leading cause of death in Florida  In 2003, there were 2,294 suicides if Florida

8. Youth  3 rd leading cause of death for ages 10-24  2 nd leading cause of death for American college students Adults  Highest number of suicides  In 2003, approximately 68% of all suicides were among ages 25-64 Elderly  Comprise 12% of population and account for 18% of nation’s suicides  Suicide rate is six times the national average among this population

9.  In 2002, twice as many Americans died by suicide than from HIV/AIDS  In 2003, there were 1,004 homicides which is under half of the suicide rate.

10.  Law Enforcement officers may experience a suicide rate two to three times that of the general population  Substance abuse disorders are involved in nearly 60% of all suicides. Alcohol alone is a factor in 25-43%.  Law Enforcement officers are almost 4 times more likely to abuse alcohol and prescription drugs than the national average

11. Reducing Stigma of Suicide and Mental Illness  Negative attitudes and beliefs that lead the general public to fear, reject, avoid, and discriminate against people with mental illnesses.

12.  54 Million Americans are affected by one or more mental disorder Approximately 23% of the workforce experiences a mental health problem annually  66% of workers who have mental illnesses have not sought treatment Reducing Stigma

13. It affects all of us It’s about fairness It’s preventable Reducing Stigma

14.  Seek to Change Perceptions  Work to Eliminate Barriers  Promote good mental health among law enforcement

15. Education & Training  Gatekeeper Training  Crisis Intervention Training (CIT)  Critical Incident Stress Debriefing and Management

16. Screening  Depression 90% of suicide victims had one or more diagnosable mental illness at the time of death  Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

17. Prevention  Importance of getting wellness checkups  Maintaining good mental health before a crisis  Law Enforcement Wellness Association

18. Resources  Employee Assistance Programs  www.myflorida.com/drugcontrol  Law Enforcement Wellness Association  Central Florida Police Stress Unit Inc.  Crisis Intervention Training  Gatekeeper/ QPR Training